1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lead wire connection apparatus and connection method for connecting, in a row, a plurality of semiconductor cells for use in a solar battery module by lead wires.
2. Description of the Related Art
Solar battery modules are classified into a crystal type and a thin-film type. A crystal-type solar battery module is configured such that semiconductor cells of, e.g. single-crystal silicon or polycrystalline silicon are connected in a row by lead wires, and the semiconductor cells are integrally laminated on a glass substrate by a resin. Patent literature 1 discloses a solar battery module of this structure.
The solar battery module disclosed in patent literature 1 is configured such that two solar battery cells, which are semiconductor cells, are electrically connected by a strip-shaped lead wire, which is a connection member that is bent in a crank shape, via a conductive member, for example, an electrically conductive tape, which is disposed on the surfaces of the semiconductor cells.
The connection of the two semiconductor cells by the lead wire is such that one end portion of the lead wire is connected to the conductive tape that is provided on an upper surface of one of the semiconductor cells, and the other end portion of the lead wire is connected to the conductive tape that is provided on a lower surface of the other semiconductor cell.
Patent literature 1 shows that the two semiconductor cells are connected by the lead wire. However, in the case where the output of the solar battery module is to be improved, for example, the number of semiconductor cells to be connected is not two, but is increased to ten or more, and many semiconductor cells are connected in a row by lead wires.
FIG. 15A is a plan view showing a state in which many semiconductor cells 1 (1a to 1n) are connected in a row by lead wires 2 (2a to 2n), and FIG. 15B is a side view in enlarged scale. As shown in FIG. 15B, electrically conductive tapes 3, as described above, which are formed of a thermosetting resin with adhesive properties, are attached in advance to the upper and lower surfaces of each of the semiconductor cells 1a to 1n, and the lead wires 2a to 2n are provisionally pressure-bonded to the conductive tapes 3.
Then, the lead wires 2a to 2n are heated while being pressed with a greater pressing force than at the time of the provisional pressure-bonding. Thereby, since the conductive tapes 3 are melted and cured, the lead wires 2a to 2n are mainly pressure-bonded, that is, connected and fixed, to the upper and lower surfaces of the semiconductor cells 1a to 1n. 